ostensible

[ o-sten-suh-buhl ]
/ ɒˈstɛn sə bəl /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR ostensible ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

outwardly appearing as such; professed; pretended: an ostensible cheerfulness concealing sadness.
apparent, evident, or conspicuous: the ostensible truth of their theories.

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Origin of ostensible

First recorded in 1730–40; from French, from Latin ostēns(us) , variant of ostentus (cf. ostensive) + French -ible-ible

OTHER WORDS FROM ostensible

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ostensible

ostensible , ostensive.

Words nearby ostensible

osteitis fibrosa cystica, osteitis fungosa, ostempyesis, Ostend, Ostend Manifesto, ostensible, ostensibly, ostensive, ostensive definition, ostensorium, ostensory
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to ostensible

plausible, avowed, professed, purported, apparent, demonstrative, exhibited, illusive, illusory, likely, manifest, notable, outward, pretended, quasi, seeming, so-called, specious, superficial, colorable

Example sentences from the Web for ostensible

British Dictionary definitions for ostensible

ostensible
/ (ɒˈstɛnsɪbəl) /

adjective

apparent; seeming
pretended

Derived forms of ostensible

ostensibility, noun

Word Origin for ostensible

C18: via French from Medieval Latin ostensibilis, from Latin ostendere to show, from ob- before + tendere to extend
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012